Art and Healing Emotional Issues-Part 1
This is a broad topic and I’m not going to attempt to cover it in depth. In this two part post I’d like to share some of my experiences combining creating art and healing emotional issues.
Art Therapy is a well established, accepted and respected modality for healing emotional issues.
Art therapists are rigorously trained in both their art and in psychology and must pass strict licensing requirements.
Alas, that is not my profession. If I had known when I was in college how important art is to me, I might have chosen that career path.
What I’m referring to in this post is the personal healing that can blossom through creativity, through carving out that place of peace and sanity for the person living in a dysfunctional family or going through tough times.
The specific form of creativity doesn’t matter at all. It doesn’t matter if there isn’t much time or space to devote to the art medium that attracts you.
What does matter is the willingness to dive in and let the process work wonders just because it is a process which requires you to direct your attention and focus to what you’re doing. Your focus is then taken off the endless tape loop playing in your head about your problem, situation or issue.
Many times I’ve put my creative time as a low priority thinking I had to, simply had to fret, stew, worry, work myself into a first class anxiety over the issue of the day. But guess what? The moment I chose to do something–anything–creative, I quickly felt calmer and more relaxed. I came away much clearer in my thinking as well.
After the tragedy of 9/11, I was introduced to an energy healing method called EFT which stands for “Emotional Freedom Technique”. ( www.emofree.com or Google EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique to learn more.) Learning and applying EFT helped me greatly during that national crisis.
I became very intrigued. I studied and completed the course. I became a Certified Practitioner of EFT.
The Personal Peace Process was part of the training. You made a list, however long you wanted to make it, of slights, hurts, disappointments, betrayals and whatever other emotional baggage you wanted to get rid of.
Once you had your list, you used EFT on just a few issues at a time. Because EFT is so powerful and quick at removing the negative charge on emotional issues, doing a few at a time was more than enough for any one session.
I worked on my list. On one particularly strong issue, I decided to combine EFT with a two step painting. One painting I did before using EFT while focusing intently on the issue. The second one I did after using EFT.
I was shocked at the visible difference and at how much emotional charge had been cleared, released and healed. For me it took EFT up a notch by combining it with my creative process. It proved to me the value of both as healing tools.
Now, years later, I realize it was potentially very dangerous for me to do such heavy duty emotional clearing with or without art on my own. I would never recommend tackling something so highly emotionally charged without a trained counselor, EFT practitioner or therapist present. Lesson learned!
I made it through that eye opening demonstration of the healing power of art. I have continued using EFT and a host of additional energy techniques ever since.
I begin and end each day with some form of energy clearing to prevent any buildup of emotional baggage. You brush your teeth daily as dental hygiene. It’s common sense to use mental hygiene. Using these energy techniques is an excellent way to keep your mind and emotions flexible and healthy.
Do you have any thoughts about this topic? Any experience with EFT? I’d love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting.
